Lucy got out of her car and smoothed out her clothes. There was still a bit of springtime chill in the air, the slight breeze easily penetrating her light clothing. It was a short walk from the parking lot so she had decided against wearing a jacket. She paused a moment, not looking forward to another work day. She gazed at her reflection in the car window for one last appearance check. Her slender, almost boyish form gazed back at her with not a hair out of place. She clicked the locks and headed indoors.
Once inside, the others greeted her like every other day. Sunshine Nails was a typical suburban salon. Nestled in a strip shopping center, just like hundreds of others that always seem to feature at least a nail salon and a dry cleaner. The clientele were uninteresting for the most part. Usually local women getting ready for some special night out or business women that needed to be perfectly groomed for the office. Less frequently a group of housewives might have a girls day out and fill up all the stations for a short time. Once in a while men would come in too - usually accompanying their wives and trying to blend in with the wallpaper while waiting in such a feminine establishment. The few that were actually customers were usually older men that were too large around the middle to see and take care of their own gnarly hands and feet.
Lucy worked alongside her two cousins and frequently chit-chatted to pass the time. To the frustration of their customers, she and the other girls often conversed in their native Mandarin. It wasn't deliberate. At least on Lucy's part. She had emigrated to America in her late twenties on a whim and with barely the clothes on her back. Her mother had endlessly bragged about her aunt's successful business in Texas and how great things were there. One day she started conversing with her aunt via e-mail and the opportunity knocked. Coming to America at that age, she spent a lot of time with family and not much mingling with her new neighbors. English was a very hard language to pick up and Lucy had only mastered the basics. She was able to do her banking, handle money at the grocery store, but not much more than that. Consequently, it was much easier to converse with her cousins in Mandarin.
That afternoon, she and the girls were finishing up with a regular client and talking as usual. One of the other girls remarked about how the customer's feet resembled those of a pig. Lucy and the others tried to keep straight faces while chatting about the poor woman's puffy feet and stubby toes. As usual, the customer was clueless and indifferent about the conversation, not knowing their language. She kept her nose down in a book while the girls tended to her. While that was going on Lucy busied herself getting hot towels ready and cleaning the foot basins.
The bells on the front door jingled, alerting of a customer entering. Lucy looked up and saw the man walk in like he owned the place. She thought that odd as he was not their usual male visitor that seemed preoccupied with keeping a low profile and hiding from view. No, this one was different. He came right in and asked at the desk for a deluxe spa pedicure. Clearly this was nothing new to him. He was subtly masculine, with an air about him that said he was in charge. About six feet tall and casually dressed, he strode confidently toward the massage chair with the foot basin Lucy had been preparing. As he was getting seated and removing his shoes, her cousins started their banter. "Lucy, looks like you got a real man to take care of. What color polish you think he wants?" She stifled the giggle and mustered her best smile and asked the man directly, in English. Her cousins immediately blushed and tried to look occupied. The man grinned and replied, "I'll pass on the polish today, thank you. I don't want all the other guys at the office getting jealous you know."
When he answered, she happened to make eye contact and immediately felt butterflies. There was an uncomfortable pause while she looked into his sharp blue eyes and then finally acknowledged his humorous comeback by gesturing for him to place his feet in the basin. While she got her nail tools and lotions organized, she peered at the man in her peripheral vision. On second glance, she was trying to figure what about this man got her so suddenly bothered. He wasn't very remarkable to be honest. An ordinary, middle-aged anglo man, he was proportionately sized with a bit of a gut. He had a close crew cut on top and a neatly trimmed beard. He was wearing a loose shirt that, on second glance, was covering up a muscular frame. Since he was relaxed into the chair it was barely noticeable. The more she glanced at him, the more she was enticed to look again.